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Saturday, April 30, 2016

The Sacramento Bee has more detail on the Katehi affair. Its version of events suggests that Katehi would have resigned in a "graceful exit" had not word of her potential firing leaked out:

UC Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi was in the midst of another redemption effort just one week ago... Then the call came in: UC President Janet Napolitano wanted to see her Monday in her Oakland offices. When she arrived, the message was blunt: resign by day’s end or be fired, according to sources familiar with the meeting. Katehi asked for more time, and was given a reprieve until 10 a.m. Tuesday, sources said.She hired Sacramento attorney Melinda Guzman and set up a Thursday appointment with UC officials to negotiate a graceful exit from her six-year leadership of the campus, university officials confirmed. Before that meeting took place, however, word of Napolitano’s demand for her resignation leaked out, propelled in part by lawmakers who had been briefed and faculty members supportive of Katehi who heard the rumblings and tried to fend off her ouster... By Wednesday morning, media outlets began reporting Katehi’s future was in doubt. At 11:44 a.m. that day, she sent an email to deans and top managers that quickly spread campus-wide. “This email is to let you know that I am 100 percent committed to serving as Chancellor of UC Davis,” she wrote. Within hours, Katehi was suspended and told she would face an independent probe into allegations that she lied to Napolitano, engaged in nepotism and misused public funds...

Friday, April 29, 2016

Up to now, state budget revenues have generally run ahead of official forecast values. However, April is a big revenue collection month due to the personal income tax (which has been the major source up to March in higher-than-forecast receipts.

So far in April, however, revenues have yet to hit forecast values, according to state controller data. If there is less revenue than projected, the governor's May revise budget could be influenced.

...Katehi faced new challenges Thursday as Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a member of the UC Board of Regents, said she should resign, and several state lawmakers renewed calls for her to quit. The Board of Regents is expected to have a closed-session personnel discussion about Katehi at its meeting in May.

...(UC President) Napolitano had attempted to give Katehi a face-saving exit, according to members of the Board of Regents who declined to be identified, but Katehi refused when Napolitano asked her to resign on Monday. They said they were informed of the investigation on a conference call Wednesday evening, shortly before it was announced publicly.

The regents may ultimately be asked to remove Katehi as chancellor, though she would retain her joint faculty appointments in electrical and computer engineering and gender, sexuality and women’s studies at UC Davis. The board will hold a closed-session discussion about Katehi at their next meeting, which takes place May 11-12 in Sacramento.

Newsom said he personally liked Katehi, but that mounting issues had begun to outweigh her good work at UC Davis.

One day after University of California (UC) President Janet Napolitano placed former UC Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi on a 90-day paid investigative administrative leave, current acting Chancellor Ralph J. Hexter held a press conference to address the news.

The conference, which was held at 2:30 p.m. on the south steps of Mrak Hall, addressed topics such as Hexter’s knowledge of Katehi’s investigation, his plans during the 90-day investigation and his views on Katehi’s alleged violations of UC policy. No students were notified of the press conference aside from student media outlets.

“This is a very unexpected development. It is with a heavy heart that I take on the position as acting chancellor given the circumstances,” Hexter said. “I think Chancellor Katehi is a tremendous leader. She has lifted up the university. It’s a great university. One of her great skills was to send the message internally and abroad that we have so much to be proud of.”In his opening remarks, Hexter affirmed that transparency between administration and students will be his utmost goal during his temporary tenure.

“I certainly want transparency to be one the watch words of what I do,” Hexter said.

Hexter also addressed his lack of knowledge regarding Katehi’s actions during her tenure at UC Davis. Hexter confirmed that last night was the first time he was alerted of Napolitano placing Katehi on leave.

“I am not privy to all the materials that [Napolitano] has or the discussions that she had. I was in many ways disappointed. I am very sorry that our chancellor has had to step down,” Hexter said. “I think Linda Katehi is a fantastic leader. I understood why [Napolitano] feels this is the decision she has to make. In my discussions with the chancellor, I think the chancellor expects only an investigation will clear her name.”

Hexter, who was appointed as provost by Katehi and began his term on Jan. 1, 2011, was previously president of Hampshire College. As provost at UC Davis, Hexter served as second-in-line to Katehi if she were unable to fulfill her role as chancellor.

“There are have been so many discussions about the future path that I would be less than honest to say that the thought hadn’t crossed my mind, that at some point I would have to, under certain circumstances, have to step up and be acting chancellor,” Hexter said.

When asked if he is prepared to take on the role as chancellor, Hexter responded that, while he has worked closely with Katehi, there are some duties he is unfamiliar with.

“There are many things that I know about because we work on them together,” Hexter said. “Frankly some areas that I know less well because the chancellor has her area and I have mine.”

In a statement released yesterday, Napolitano noted that Katehi will be placed on leave as a third-party investigation looks into possible violations of UC policy, including questionable employment of immediate family members and potential inappropriate use of student fees.

Though Hexter declined to speak on the possible validity concerning Katehi’s recent allegations, he expressed that an investigation is an effective way to settle the controversy. He also said that he has not seen Napolitano’s documents pertaining to Katehi’s investigation.

“I think that an investigation is always a good thing. It brings things to light, and if things are wrong, it corrects them,” Hexter said. “I don’t think we’re ever afraid of light being shown on what we do.”

In regards to the students who occupied Mrak Hall for 36 days throughout March and April, Hexter said he was relieved to see the sit-in end.

“I never thought of [the protestors] as representing all of the students. I know there are a tremendous amount of supporters who are by nature more silent,” Hexter said. “The occupation caused a tremendous amount of stress to the chancellor, but, above all, the staff that works here.”

Hexter also confirmed that he will be appointing an acting provost who will take over his previous role while he serves as chancellor, in addition to affirming that he will hire UC Davis’ new athletic director in the coming months.

“I serve at [Napolitano’s] pleasure and I will serve as long as she wants me to serve,” Hexter said.

...Linda F. Bisson, a viticulture and enology professor, told The Chronicle last week that many faculty members, especially women in STEM fields, identify with the criticism Ms. Katehi has faced as a female leader. (She is an engineering professor by background.)Many women on the faculty are "facing implicit bias and all those challenges, and trying to develop new policies and protocol, so of course they’re supportive because they see the pattern that is emerging," Ms. Bisson said.On Wednesday night Ms. Katehi’s lawyer released a statement saying she intends to fight the allegations but cooperate with the investigation. "Make no mistake: We intend to vigorously defend Linda’s professional reputation and her standing as chancellor of the university she loves," the statement read.“I think she might be a bit blind to the fact that fighting tooth and nail to stay on is actually a black eye for the university.” But others said the leadership crisis had reached a breaking point. Richard Tucker, a professor of cell biology and human anatomy, said that while Ms. Katehi’s battle to remain as chancellor had been welcomed by some faculty members, it is not what the university needs."I don’t think she wants to resign," he said. "I think she might be a bit blind to the fact that fighting tooth and nail to stay on is actually a black eye for the university.""I really do wish," he said, "she’d let go and move on."Though not all faculty members support Ms. Katehi as a leader, some have used the struggle as an opportunity to take a stand against what they see as a breach of shared governance.The chair of Davis’s Academic Senate, André Knoesen, said in an interview that he first spoke about Ms. Katehi’s situation with Ms. Napolitano on Thursday morning, only after news of the chancellor’s leave was made public. Many faculty members are upset that Ms. Napolitano bypassed the Academic Senate when taking action against Ms. Katehi, Mr. Tucker said.What’s more, the university system recently overhauled its employee-retirement plan without consulting faculty members, leaving a sour taste for Ms. Napolitano’s leadership style, Mr. Tucker said."Faculty as a whole are a little bit weary about how Napolitano has been sort of ham-fisted with certain aspects, like the retirement plan," he said...Full article at http://chronicle.com/article/In-Fight-Over-UC-Davis/236297

Thursday, April 28, 2016

UC Prez Napolitano has put UC-Davis Chancellor Katehi on paid leave while an investigation goes forward into three charges, only one of which relates to the Internet clean-up affair and none of which relates to the DeVry/board membership affair.The charges are 1) nepotism violations related to campus employment of close relatives, 2) greater involvement in the Internet clean-up than had been represented, and 3) a whistleblower complaint involving misdirection of student fees. (Exactly what #3 entails is not clear.)The charges are contained in a letter from Napolitano to Katehi:http://www.sacbee.com/latest-news/article74371162.ece/BINARY/UC%20President%20Janet%20Napolitano%20letter%20to%20UC%20Davis%20Chancellor%20Linda%20KatehiThis is the kind of matter that usually gets resolved with money changing hands:*

Katehi attorney Melinda Guzman** issued a statement following the announcement that called Napolitano’s move “entirely unjustified.”

“This smacks of scapegoating and a rush to judgment driven purely by political optics, not the best interests of the university or the UC system as a whole,” Guzman wrote. “The Chancellor welcomes an independent, objective investigation and a full release of all relevant documents and public records.

“Make no mistake: we intend to vigorously defend Linda’s professional reputation and her standing as Chancellor of the university she loves.”

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

University professors circulated a letter that they sent to state Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Davis, saying that Katehi is being singled out for accepting paid positions on the boards of outside organizations, even though other UC chancellors do the same thing.Some of the same faculty had initially called for Katehi’s resignation, but in the letter, they oppose the idea that Katehi should be forced to resign.“A report has reached us that President (Janet) Napolitano has requested the resignation of UCD Chancellor Katehi,” professors Margaret Ferguson and David Simpson wrote in the letter to Wolk. “We urge you to do everything in your power to stop it and to set going a system-wide review.”Meanwhile, spokespeople for the campus and for Napolitano’s office did not provide answers when asked by KCRA 3 Tuesday if Katehi is still employed by UC."I have no information at this time, but I will share with you anything I learn," said Dana Topousis, a spokeswoman for UC Davis.A spokesman for Napolitano also said he did not have information...

Sen. Ricardo Lara wants it to be easier for state lawmakers to pressure the University of California Board of Regents. His proposed constitutional amendment, SCA1, passed out of the Senate Education Committee this month and, with enough stirring of the pot, could end up on the ballot.For Californians, this should not be welcome news.Lara, a Bell Gardens Democrat, has had issues with the UC since President Janet Napolitano had the temerity to threaten a tuition hike if the state didn’t increase university funding. In 2014, he proposed stripping UC’s historic autonomy from lawmakers; last year, as a favor to his labor friends, he tried to strong-arm the university into turning outsourced workers into legions of pricier full-time employees.It’s not news that the regents, who are mostly gubernatorial appointees, tend to be richer, whiter and more politically connected than most Californians. Every so often, some lawmaker annoyed with their patrician-ness – or covetous of the campaign cash a politician can extract from a wannabe regent – will take umbrage. And the Legislature’s Latino caucus, a rising force, has had the UC in its crosshairs, calling for more in-state enrollment, more flagship campus Latino admissions and generally less sass from Napolitano.But the constitution made the UC politically independent precisely to shield the public university from such wheeling and dealing. The regents’ terms are, by design, longer than those of the governors who appoint them so that politicians can’t manipulate things like admissions and hiring and academic freedom.Lara’s proposal, which would require approval from a supermajority in each house and a majority of voters, would cut regents’ terms from 12 years to four. This will make UC more “accountable,” he says, noting that governing boards of other state universities, including Texas, Michigan, Wisconsin and the Cal States, all have shorter terms, albeit more in the six-to-eight-year range.But Lara is fixing something that ain’t broke. The Legislature’s purse strings give it plenty of influence over higher education, and the Senate approves the governor’s appointees. The issues that bother Lara and others aren’t the regents’ fault; if anything, they’re more about college preparedness and K-12 education.Starting a bruising and divisive fight with the UC at its center will tarnish the brand and punish California students. The best and brightest should all get a fair shot, but muscling the regents is not only beneath Lara, it’s a terrible idea.

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Last month, the dean of the University of California-Berkeley School of Law resigned his position amid a sexual harassment scandal. The dean who stepped down, Sujit Choudhry, isn’t going away quietly.

Mr. Choudhry, who remains a tenured professor at the prestigious law school, has filed a grievance letter accusing university leadership of smearing him and violating his due-process rights as a faculty member.

Mr. Choudhry last month resigned as dean two days after a former executive assistant filed a lawsuit accusing him of engaging in unwanted touching and kissing on a regular basis over a several-month period. The woman claims in her lawsuit that she made multiple complaints to her superiors about Mr. Choudhry’s alleged conduct, but it took months for the university to investigate her claims.

UC Berkeley’s internal investigation, which was completed in July, determined that the dean had violated the university’s sexual harassment policy and imposed a limited sanction, including a temporary pay cut. In the wake of the lawsuit and the dean’s resignation, the university launched another misconduct probe that could ultimately strip Mr. Choudhry of his tenured employment.

Last week, he filed a grievance letter with UC-Berkeley’s committee on privilege and tenure. His letter, which he made public Monday, challenges the fairness of the new inquiry and claims the disciplinary process has been “indelibly tainted” by public comments made by University of California’s president, Janet Napolitano...

As can be seen above, UCLA gets divergent hospital ratings for safety from the "Leapfrog" survey, a high score for its Santa Monica hospital and a not-so-good rating for Reagan.

When it comes to hospital patient safety, Los Angeles residents have a mixed bag of options, according to the Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit founded by employers and health-care providers. Leapfrog gave local hospitals several D and C grades with a handful of B and A grades in patient safety Monday. The Leapfrog Group, announced its Spring 2016 hospital safety rankings Monday, a measure of how safe a hospital is for patients...

Sunday, April 24, 2016

As the UCLA Grand Hotel is coming to completion, it might be useful to think about the impermanence of commercial construction - which is what the Grand Hotel essentially is. There are probably no buildings off limits for replacement on campus other than Royce and Powell. What does continue indefinitely is investment in human capital, e.g., properly endowed scholarships, research endeavors, and chairs for faculty.

Someday (who knows when?), the build and bond bureaucracy of the future will decide there is a better use of space on campus than the Grand Hotel: (Won't work in iPhone.)

The Sacramento Bee has an article with the headline:Tabloid says it has proof: Ted Cruz’s father is mystery man in Lee Harvey Oswald photo*The tabloid in question is the National Enquirer so you can draw your own conclusion about the likely veracity of the story. In any case, the allegation is based on a photo showing Oswald with someone whose identity is unknown. In the article, you will find this sentence:And Carole Lieberman, a University of California - Los Angeles forensic psychiatrist and expert witness based in Beverly Hills, California, compared the photos and told the Enquirer “they seem to match.”Apart from the question of why a psychiatrist would be someone to consult about matching photos, there is a claimed link to UCLA in the article. Yet if you go to the easy-to-find online UCLA directory,** no such person is listed. If you go to the link to the psychiatrist's website provided in the Bee article and poke around,*** there are various connections to UCLA listed on the CV including "Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry" at NPI but, again, nothing in the online directory. Now the directory could be wrong. But there are many folks in the LA area that have had some connection to UCLA (degree, service, etc.) at one time without being "regular," ongoing faculty members. In the future, the Bee might want to go beyond the standards of the National Enquirer.===*http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/election/presidential-election/article73449297.html**http://www.directory.ucla.edu/. I tried variations on the name such as Leiberman instead of Lieberman, just Lieberman without the first name, and checked all folks with just "Carole."***http://www.jurispro.com/search/profile/advanced/lieberman and http://www.jurispro.com/files/documents/doc-1066206825-resume.pdf (scroll down).

Saturday, April 23, 2016

While the legislature and the state auditor are critical of UC for reliance on out-of-state students as a source of funding and want to cap such enrollments, the prospects of reliable and increased funding from the state are not great:

California, whose state budget is highly dependent on volatile income taxes, is the least able big state to withstand a recession, according to a “stress test” conducted by Moody’s Investor Service...Moody’s report could help Gov. Jerry Brown this year as he resists pressure from fellow Democrats in the Legislature to increase spending, particularly for health, social and pre-school services, and pump more revenue into a “rainy day fund” that voters, at his behest, created in 2014...In addition to revenue volatility, the Moody’s report also cites California’s relative inflexibility on the spending side of the budget ledger and the fact that the Legislature needs a two-thirds vote to raise taxes, both of which expose it to greater peril if recession strikes...Full story at http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article73404632.html

Friday, April 22, 2016

In an effort to improve customer service for plan members and assist in controlling costs, the University of California (UC) has selected Anthem to replace Blue Shield as the claims administrator and network provider for UC Care, Health Savings Plan (HSP), Core and Blue Shield Medicare plans. Anthem is well-positioned to support UC as a long-term partner through a constantly changing health care landscape. The changes will be effective January 1, 2017.

Anthem will also administer behavioral health benefits for these plans, replacing Optum. Prescription drug benefits for PPO plans will be administered through Optum Rx, which is a pharmacy expert specializing in the delivery, clinical management and affordability of prescription medications.

What this means for current UC Care, HSP and Core members

Employees who are currently enrolled in UC Care, HSP, Core or Blue Shield Medicare plans will not see any changes in their coverage or provider network this year.

In 2017, these plans will continue to offer many of the same features, including the option to see a specialist without a referral and to see non-network providers. However, a few changes may affect you:

•

Provider network: Anthem’s medical provider network is very similar to Blue Shield’s, so most members will be able to continue seeing their current medical providers. There is considerable, but currently not complete, overlap between Anthem’s behavioral health provider network and Optum’s network. Throughout 2016, Anthem will be working actively to expand its behavioral health provider network to minimize any provider disruptions for UC employees.

•

Pharmacy benefits: Medications covered under your current plan will continue to be covered by Optum Rx. Some prescription co-pays may increase or decrease depending on the medication. Members will be able to confirm their prescription co-pays during Open Enrollment.

More information about these 2017 changes will be available during Open Enrollment this fall. We will also provide updates about 2017 provider networks and prescription costs as new details become available.

Thursday, April 21, 2016

UC Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi apologized Thursday for mistakes she and her staff made during her seven-year tenure and committed to setting up oversight committees to avoid future missteps.

“There will be mistakes. There will be controversy. There will be critiques,” she said. “I have to tell you, I’m a human being. You know I have made mistakes and probably I will make more. And what I can promise you is not that I will not make another mistake, I will promise you that I will try not to.”

Katehi, 62, met Thursday with The Sacramento Bee’s editorial board and reporters after a series of Bee articles described her paid positions on corporate boards and UC Davis’ hiring of consultants to cleanse the school’s online reputation after the 2011 pepper spraying of students.

Katehi said she has no plans to leave despite calls from eight state lawmakers to resign...

A bill that would cap out-of-state enrollment in the UC system is one step closer to becoming a law after state lawmakers voted 10-3 Tuesday to move the bill to a committee that will evaluate its financial viability.

Amid tension between the University of California and state leadership over space on UC campuses for California students, state Assemblymember Kevin McCarty, D-Sacramento, introduced Assembly Bill 1711 in January designed to cap UC enrollment of out-of-state students at 15.5 percent of the total undergraduate student body.

The vote to push AB 1711 forward in the legislative process comes after a report by the California state auditor on UC nonresident enrollment.

“The State Auditor recently found that although the UC has insisted that non-resident students do not supplant resident California students, in fact, it continues to grow its nonresident population and displace many of California’s students and families,” McCarty said in a press release.

UC Student Association President Kevin Sabo sees AB 1711 as an attempt to “grab the media’s attention and force a conversation” rather than provide a solution that takes UC funding into account...

As top UC Berkeley officials lead an ambitious effort to reshape the nation's premier public research institution, they are facing increasingly fierce reactions from their usual allies — the faculty.

Chancellor Nicholas Dirks announced in February that the flagship University of California campus would need to reinvent itself to cope with a $150-million budget deficit and the likelihood that state financial support will not return to the more generous levels of the past.

But many professors say they have been largely left out of the early planning efforts, counter to Berkeley's long tradition of joint decision-making between administrators and faculty.

At a testy Academic Senate meeting with Dirks last week, professors complained the process has been shrouded in secrecy. They say few details about the school's deficit, budget reduction targets, plans to redesign academic programs and other key issues have been disclosed. The Office of Strategic Initiatives, formed in February to lead the campus transformation process, was disparaged for failing to seek wide input from the 2,200 professors, lecturers and other instructors on campus...

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

A federal judge on Monday refused to dismiss claims that a former Alzheimer's researcher with the University of California conspired with USC to steal a $100 million research grant and other UC employees.

U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez refused Dr. Paul Aisen and the University of Southern California's motion to dismiss the first amended complaint by the UC regents for failing to state claims for relief.

The UC regents, on behalf of UC San Diego, sued USC, Aisen and eight of his colleagues in July 2015. The regents claimed Aisen conspired with USC to take data, funding and his colleagues at UC San Diego to form a research facility with USC.

...In hindsight, we should have been more careful in reviewing some of the more unrealistic and ridiculous scope-of-work claims in the written proposals of our outside vendors. What might be accepted industry hyperbole in the private public relations world falls far beneath the high standards of a public institution of higher learning...

UC President Napolitano issued a letter yesterday dealing with processing of sexual harassment/assault cases against faculty.* The letter is in part a directive and in part a complaint that so far the recommendations she has received do not provide processes that are "efficient, effective, and timely, both for the complainant and
respondent."

The letter seems to aim at creating separate ombudspersons for such cases. It says that each campus should have "at least one confidential resource for faculty, other academic appointees, and graduate students, who is exempt from reporting and has appropriate insights into the unique demands, opportunities, and risks of mentor relationships and academic careers. This will mirror the confidential advocate position that has been established for students on each campus." It might be noted that at least at UCLA, the existing Office of Ombuds Services is supposed to cover faculty as well as students.**

In addition, steps should be taken to:• Clarify the relationship between the Title IX offices and the Committees on Privilege and Tenure (or their equivalents) so that cases can be more readily brought to conclusion.• Develop structures and support so that Committees on Privilege and Tenure (or their equivalents) have the capacity to meet throughout the year to curtail undue delays in the adjudication of faculty sexual violence or sexual harassment cases.
===
*http://sexualviolence.universityofcalifornia.edu/files/documents/Pres-Napolitano-letter-joint-committee-of-administration-academic-senate.041816.pdf
**"The [UCLA] Office of Ombuds Services is a place where members of the UCLA community–students, faculty, staff and administrators–can go for assistance in resolving conflicts, disputes or complaints on an informal basis. In order to afford visitors the greatest freedom in using its services, the Office is independent, neutral and confidential." Source: http://www.ombuds.ucla.edu/

Monday, April 18, 2016

From Inside Higher Ed: The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday announced it will not hear Authors Guild v. Google, a case on whether Google's book digitization project violates authors' rights. The court's decision leaves in place a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which ruled in favor of Google...*This is a case in which the UC library system supported Google: ...As an outcome of our partnership with Google, close to 4 million volumes digitized from UC library collections are held within the HathiTrust Digital Library, including many works that are in the public domain or long out of print. The digitization of these collections is a necessary foundation for 21st century scholarship, enabling richer discovery and engagement with the record of human thought found in books...**===*https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2016/04/18/breaking-supreme-court-declines-hear-google-books-case**http://osc.universityofcalifornia.edu/2015/10/uc-libraries-statement-on-authors-guild-v-google/

Saturday, April 16, 2016

The University of California Student Association is calling for the resignation or firing of UC Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi, joining with seven legislators and student protesters who say Katehi must go.

The association, which represents 240,000 students in UC schools statewide, cited revelations Wednesday in The Sacramento Bee that UC Davis spent at least $175,000 trying to scrub the Internet of negative references related to the November 2011 pepper spraying of students by campus police.

Katehi rebuffed a question Saturday at the campus' annual Picnic Day about student calls that she step down. She said the university will respond further to The Bee's report on Monday, but gave no details.

"There is going to be a response to The Bee because The Bee has ... misrepresented the facts. There is going to be a response on Monday," Katehi said...

Steele, who has served as Berkeley's chief academic officer since March 2014, will return to full-time teaching and research in the psychology department and also retain his faculty appointment in the Graduate School of Education.

In a statement, Steele said his wife's health problems in recent months necessitated that he step down as executive vice chancellor and provost...

Friday, April 15, 2016

Students who have occupied the lobby outside the office of UC Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi for five weeks have decided to end their sit-in protest at noon Friday, although that does not mean an end to their efforts to get Katehi to resign.

In an email to The Sacramento Bee late Thursday, protester and graduate student Emily Breuninger wrote that the students had decided to end their occupation of the fifth floor area of Mrak Hall, the campus administration building.

“We are planning on leaving Mrak and ending the sit in tomorrow at noon...,” she wrote.

The decision comes exactly five weeks to the day after students marched across campus from Memorial Union, rushed up five flights of stairs and began their effort to oust Katehi over revelations in The Sacramento Bee that the chancellor had accepted seats on private corporate boards.

Since then, The Bee also has revealed that the school spent at least $175,000 to scrub negative references from the Internet about UC Davis and Katehi and the 2011 pepper spraying of students by campus police. Seven lawmakers also have called for Katehi to resign...

Three more state lawmakers called Thursday for the resignation of UC Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi, citing revelations about her efforts to scrub the Internet of negative postings about campus police pepper-spraying students.

Assemblymen Mike Gatto, D-Los Angeles, Freddie Rodriguez, D-Pomona, and Mark Stone, D-Monterey Bay, said they were moved by a report Wednesday in The Sacramento Bee that UC Davis had spent at least $175,000 on consultants to scrub online references to the November 2011 pepper-spraying of students and improve the image of the university and chancellor...

Thursday, April 14, 2016

Assemblyman Mike Gatto on Thursday became the latest state legislator to call for the resignation of UC Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi.

Gatto, D-Los Angeles, sought Katehi’s resignation after The Sacramento Bee reported thatUC Davis had spent at least $175,000 on consultants to scrub online references to the November 2011 pepper-spraying of students and improve the image of the university and chancellor.

He first posted his call for resignation on Twitter Thursday morning: “Spend millions on PR while students costs soar? It’s time for Katehi to resign.”

“Her serving on the board of textbook companies was sufficient enough grounds, but her recent article detailing large and questionable PR expenditures cemented it in the minds of many,” Gatto said later via email.

From the Sacramento Bee: UC Davis contracted with consultants for at least $175,000 to scrub the Internet of negative online postings following the November 2011 pepper-spraying of students and to improve the reputations of both the university and Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi, newly released documents show.

The payments were made as the university was trying to boost its image online and were among several contracts issued following the pepper-spray incident.

Some payments were made in hopes of improving the results computer users obtained when searching for information about the university or Katehi, results that one consultant labeled “venomous rhetoric about UC Davis and the chancellor.”

Others sought to improve the school’s use of social media and to devise a new plan for the UC Davis strategic communications office, which has seen its budget rise substantially since Katehi took the chancellor’s post in 2009. Figures released by UC Davis show the strategic communications budget increased from $2.93 million in 2009 to $5.47 million in 2015.

“We have worked to ensure that the reputation of the university, which the chancellor leads, is fairly portrayed,” said UC Davis spokeswoman Dana Topousis. “We wanted to promote and advance the important teaching, research and public service done by our students, faculty and staff, which is the core mission of our university.”

Money to pay the consultants came from the communications department budget, Topousis said...

UC Davis officials said they still were working to respond to requests for documents by The Bee, and did not provide any reports or memos explaining the results of the contracts. Currently, Google searches for “UC Davis pepper spray” produce nearly 100,000 results, while searches for “Katehi pepper spray” pull up roughly 10,800 results...